1 00:00:02,799 --> 00:00:12,960 I was born in 1548 in San Cidrian, Ávila. Nowadays I would be 473 years old. 2 00:00:13,439 --> 00:00:18,039 I am son of Francisco Luis de Vitoria and Francisca Suárez de la Concha. 3 00:00:18,559 --> 00:00:25,000 My father died when I was 9 years old. My brothers and I went to live with my uncle. 4 00:00:25,839 --> 00:00:30,660 Due to the inheritance, we did not have poorness in our family 5 00:00:30,660 --> 00:00:36,539 and I could acquire my first formation of general culture and music 6 00:00:36,539 --> 00:00:39,939 in the prestigious Jesuit school of San Gil. 7 00:00:40,460 --> 00:00:43,439 And later, in the Cathedral Musical Chapel, 8 00:00:44,020 --> 00:00:47,960 I accepted it like a co-boy with 10 years old. 9 00:00:50,829 --> 00:00:52,869 Hello, I'm Antonio de Cabezón, 10 00:00:53,149 --> 00:00:56,710 and with Bernardino de Rivera, Juan Navarro and other organists, 11 00:00:56,710 --> 00:01:05,150 we taught Thomas Blythu Victoria in 1565 I went to the Germanic school in Rome 12 00:01:05,150 --> 00:01:11,290 because I was recommended by San Gilles school and from the Germanic school I 13 00:01:11,290 --> 00:01:16,750 would receive the support of my two principal sponsors Felipe II and 14 00:01:16,750 --> 00:01:24,370 the Cardinal Archbishop Otto von Truches in this period I entered the Roman 15 00:01:24,370 --> 00:01:32,030 college where I was studying ecclesiastical studies. After four years of training, I practiced 16 00:01:32,030 --> 00:01:40,510 from January 1569 as a chapel master, singer, and organist in a Spanish institution. The 17 00:01:40,510 --> 00:01:46,670 Catalan Aragonese Church of Santa Maria di Monserrato in Rome and simultaneously in the 18 00:01:46,670 --> 00:01:56,349 Santissima Trinita dei Pellegrini as a singer and in San Giacomo degli Spagnoli as a musician. 19 00:01:56,349 --> 00:02:04,049 In 1571, I received the desired offer from the Germanic College. Two years later, there 20 00:02:04,049 --> 00:02:12,370 was the offer to occupy the position of Master Chapel of the Roman Seminary Saxon in Palestina. 21 00:02:12,370 --> 00:02:16,210 I accepted both positions. 22 00:02:16,210 --> 00:02:21,650 During my tenure as a teacher at the Germanic College, an important event occurred. 23 00:02:21,650 --> 00:02:30,129 I composed for the occasion a motet, the Superflumina Babylonis, which is a thing of recognition 24 00:02:30,129 --> 00:02:35,009 of the role that the music of the teacher played in this institution. 25 00:02:35,009 --> 00:02:45,169 In 1576, my first book on Masses was called Collegii Germanici in Urbe Roma Musicae Modera 26 00:02:45,169 --> 00:02:50,110 . 27 00:02:50,110 --> 00:02:56,629 I was aspired to another of my great most personal desires, the priesthood, and soon 28 00:02:56,629 --> 00:02:58,050 I get it. 29 00:02:58,050 --> 00:03:05,990 In 1575, I have installed as a priest in the church of Santo Tomas de Canterbury in Rome. 30 00:03:05,990 --> 00:03:14,289 having passed all the requirements for it, from the minor orders to the priesthood through 31 00:03:14,289 --> 00:03:17,050 subdeaconate and deaconate. 32 00:03:17,050 --> 00:03:24,659 All this I achieved in six months and at the age of 27. 33 00:03:24,659 --> 00:03:32,819 I had so many jobs, this forced me to abandon some of them, such as the Church of Montserrat. 34 00:03:32,819 --> 00:03:40,060 After obtaining the priesthood, I decided to dedicate myself more to the spiritual realm 35 00:03:40,060 --> 00:03:47,219 and the musical composition than to the exercise as a chapelmaster or organist. 36 00:03:47,219 --> 00:03:54,979 This new battle focus made me leave the Germanic College to join, in 1578, the community of 37 00:03:54,979 --> 00:04:05,139 secular priest of San Felipe Neri in Girolamo de la Carita as chaplain until 1585. 38 00:04:05,139 --> 00:04:12,539 There I maintained an intense spiritual life, with personal contact with Felipe Neri and 39 00:04:12,539 --> 00:04:19,720 the institution and submission to very different rules than those that have governed his life 40 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:25,790 until then. 41 00:04:25,790 --> 00:04:32,410 In 1587, I returned to Spain. 42 00:04:32,410 --> 00:04:38,009 I am the Empress Maria and I offered to Thomas to join my personal chapel in the Monastery 43 00:04:38,009 --> 00:04:42,209 of the Royal Belfort of Santa Clara in Madrid. 44 00:04:42,209 --> 00:04:45,529 I passed away in 1603. 45 00:04:45,529 --> 00:04:52,029 Thomas left the Magisterium and took the position of organist of the Monastery. 46 00:04:52,029 --> 00:04:58,970 My health began to weaken in these years and I asked Felipe III for an organist assistant. 47 00:04:58,970 --> 00:05:05,240 On August 27, 1611, I died of illness. 48 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:08,279 Famous work, Officium defunctorum. 49 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:13,839 It was written for the funeral of Empress Maria, in whose services the composer was 50 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:18,120 chaplain of the Monastery of Las Descarzas de Madrid. 51 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:23,839 This Gregorian paraphrase is the last of his edited works. 52 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:32,959 The work includes the corresponding parts of the Mass for Death to which Tomás Ruiz added a lecture in four voices on text of Job, 53 00:05:33,379 --> 00:05:39,399 the motet Versa es in lectum with text by the same author and the responsory Liberami. 54 00:05:54,689 --> 00:05:55,370 Anecdote 55 00:05:55,370 --> 00:06:02,949 It was the year 1600 when Tomás was in the courtyard of the Monastery of Las Descalzas. 56 00:06:02,949 --> 00:06:06,550 He was resting in the shade of an oak with birds singing. 57 00:06:06,550 --> 00:06:14,550 As it was a hot day, he didn't expect visitors, but suddenly the door opened and William Beard appeared. 58 00:06:14,550 --> 00:06:18,550 Thomas was surprised because he was one of the best English composers. 59 00:06:22,519 --> 00:06:26,519 Hello, I'm William Beard. Do you want to compose a work with me? 60 00:06:27,519 --> 00:06:33,519 Yes, of course. Stay with me in the monastery to better compose the work. 61 00:06:34,519 --> 00:06:38,519 Okay, but I have to go to my bedroom where I stayed for my things. 62 00:06:39,519 --> 00:06:44,699 We could do it in secret and later give it to the Empress Maria of Austria. 63 00:06:45,959 --> 00:06:49,980 Months passed, and William and Thomas became great friends. 64 00:06:50,459 --> 00:06:54,160 It took them 15 months to compose the 29th masterpiece. 65 00:06:55,399 --> 00:06:59,199 Look, Empress, this masterpiece is for you. 66 00:07:00,079 --> 00:07:03,879 Oh, thank you. I will give you a financial reward. 67 00:07:04,459 --> 00:07:07,139 And you could do another work, but more romantic. 68 00:07:09,819 --> 00:07:13,660 When they left the monastery, William went directly to a tavern 69 00:07:13,660 --> 00:07:17,560 where he spent all the money that the empress had granted him 70 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:20,100 without thinking about the consequences. 71 00:07:20,860 --> 00:07:24,819 When they both arrived at the monastery to compose the second masterpiece, 72 00:07:25,879 --> 00:07:28,579 Thomas, I spent all my money in the tavern. 73 00:07:29,399 --> 00:07:34,180 I am going to lend you part of my money because we are great friends, 74 00:07:34,180 --> 00:07:39,620 But you have to promise me that you will not spend it on unnecessary things again. 75 00:07:40,300 --> 00:07:41,519 Okay, I promise you. 76 00:07:41,540 --> 00:07:48,660 After this incident, they started to compose a new work that Empress Maria told them to do for her. 77 00:07:48,959 --> 00:07:50,180 Some months later... 78 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:54,399 Sirius, I'm falling ill and this illness has not a cure. 79 00:07:57,839 --> 00:07:59,720 Okay, we are going to hurry up. 80 00:08:00,399 --> 00:08:02,399 For you can listen to our masterpiece. 81 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:04,899 Two weeks later... 82 00:08:04,899 --> 00:08:06,899 We have the work. 83 00:08:06,899 --> 00:08:08,899 I want to hear it. 84 00:08:08,899 --> 00:08:12,899 One day later she fell asleep and never woke up again. 85 00:08:12,899 --> 00:08:17,899 At least she passed away happily because she loved our work. 86 00:08:17,899 --> 00:08:20,899 They were very sad because of her death, 87 00:08:20,899 --> 00:08:24,899 but one month later many people started listening to it. 88 00:08:24,899 --> 00:08:28,899 That encouraged them to continue composing together. 89 00:08:28,899 --> 00:08:32,899 Some years later I started to get weaker 90 00:08:32,899 --> 00:08:36,740 and William Byrd returned to his house in England. 91 00:08:36,740 --> 00:08:40,659 So we could not do more works together.